# Identify this electrical device **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 16, 2003, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-electrical-device/201868 "2003-09-16T01:57:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Trigonal\_Planar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/0ea827/32.png) [@Trigonal\_Planar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trigonal_Planar)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-electrical-device/201868/1 "2003-09-16T01:57:41Z")
I picked this up from the Physics department at my University. Okay, I picked it up from someone else who picked it up from the physics department, ergo I was unable to ask them what it was. Here is a page containing pictures of said device (pictures are large). [http://www.boxofstupid.150m.com/unit.html](http://www.boxofstupid.150m.com/unit.html) If anyone can provide any details as to what this might be please let me know! ---
**Author:** ![Trigonal\_Planar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/0ea827/32.png) [@Trigonal\_Planar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trigonal_Planar)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-electrical-device/201868/2 "2003-09-16T01:59:31Z")
Oh, I’m sure the bandwidth limit for that site will quickly be exceeded, so if the site won’t load, please try again later. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-electrical-device/201868/3 "2003-09-16T02:08:05Z")
A three-phase generator? ---
**Author:** ![Danalan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/76d3ee/32.png) [@Danalan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Danalan)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-electrical-device/201868/4 "2003-09-16T02:26:57Z")
From what I can tell, it looks like a device for making magnets. ---
**Author:** ![CurtC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce73a5/32.png) [@CurtC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CurtC)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-electrical-device/201868/5 "2003-09-16T02:31:45Z")
It looks like it has a small motor (sweing machine?) which drives a large gear, which then turns a worm gear, that turns a generator. But it looks like the generator will turn pretty darn slowly. And the three ammeters have scales of 1 A, 5 A, and 10 A, so it doesn’t sound like a regular three-phase kind of thing. My guess is that it’s a zero-point energy extractor. ---
**Author:** ![Trigonal\_Planar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/0ea827/32.png) [@Trigonal\_Planar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trigonal_Planar)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-electrical-device/201868/6 "2003-09-16T02:34:56Z")
My initial thoughts were that it was some sort of generator, but why the Speed dial the Oersteds selector? (Oersteds being a measure of magnetic flux) ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-electrical-device/201868/7 "2003-09-16T02:41:08Z")
Well, assuming it’s a generator, they might want some way to control the frequency from, say 25 Hz (many railroads) to 400 Hz (aircraft), hence the speed control. (nitpick: the Oersted is the unit of magnetizing force, not flux, equal to 125.7 ampere-turns per meter. The Gauss is the unit of flux density.) ---
**Author:** ![Trigonal\_Planar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/0ea827/32.png) [@Trigonal\_Planar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trigonal_Planar)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-electrical-device/201868/8 "2003-09-16T02:42:59Z")
So here’s the real question: Should I attempt to repair it, or should I salvage it for parts? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Danalan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/76d3ee/32.png) [@Danalan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Danalan)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-electrical-device/201868/9 "2003-09-16T02:44:34Z")
Damn that button! I meant to hit preview and add to that post. It could also be for measuring magnets. There appear to be several cords coming out the back, one is clearly a power cord, and goes to the motor that drives the large gear. One other seems to attach to TB1, and may or may not be another power cord. It may be an output from the motor-generator that appears to be driven by the large gear. I’m less sure about the other cord. This [instruction](http://www.mag-inc.com/pdf/cg-04.pdf) (PDF) may have some relevance. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-electrical-device/201868/10 "2003-09-16T02:47:31Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Trigonal Planar \* > \*\*Oh, I’m sure the bandwidth limit for that site will quickly be exceeded, so if the site won’t load, please try again later. \*\* In under an hour ! ---
**Author:** ![Blown\_Injected](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a87d85/32.png) [@Blown\_Injected](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blown_Injected)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-electrical-device/201868/11 "2003-09-16T03:57:07Z")
Looks like a gunkulator or a part for a death ray machine ---
**Author:** ![abby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/48db29/32.png) [@abby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/abby)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-electrical-device/201868/12 "2003-09-16T06:36:07Z")
one of those 1920’s ones, d’you think? Those are cool. Pretty rare… ---
**Author:** ![Seven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Seven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seven)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-electrical-device/201868/13 "2003-09-16T06:47:17Z")
AAAAAAAGH! _hits head on desk_ WACK-WACK-WACK-WACK ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-electrical-device/201868/14 "2003-09-16T06:59:58Z")
It may be a calibration bench. Don’t take it apart its full of asbestos & PCBs ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-electrical-device/201868/15 "2003-09-16T07:01:55Z")
I think what you have there is an [Interocitor](http://www.interocitor.net/main.html). Be very careful, they have a nasty habit of exploding. More info [here.](http://www.shipbrook.com/jeff/interocitor/) ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-electrical-device/201868/16 "2003-09-16T07:05:11Z")
Are you boys cooking up there? I think it might be a frequency generator. It would be used to test radio equipment. It generates a tone on a particular radio frequency, so you tune your radio to that frequency and see if you can hear the tone. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-electrical-device/201868/17 "2003-09-16T07:07:06Z")
Obviously it’s a debigulator. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-electrical-device/201868/18 "2003-09-16T07:17:24Z")
What a perfectly cromulent device. ---
**Author:** ![NoGoodNamesLeft](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/8797f3/32.png) [@NoGoodNamesLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoGoodNamesLeft)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-electrical-device/201868/19 "2003-09-16T11:49:13Z")
Thanks for that trip into POP-UP HELL! ---
**Author:** ![spingears](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@spingears](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spingears)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-electrical-device/201868/20 "2003-09-16T15:29:43Z")
Free Energy Generator! ``` Maybe? ``` [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-electrical-device/201868.md?page=2)